BREAKING: Update on AD Situation

(Photo by WVU Athletics)  West Virginia University is expected to announce their next athletic director sometime in the coming week. The school has conducted a nationwide search, and two names that have continuously come up are Rob Mullens of Oregon and Pat Chun of Washington State.   However, it does not appear that either of those two will get the position. According to Hoppy Kerchival of MetroNews, it is likely that the next athletic director will not come from a Power Five school. https://twitter.com/hoppykercheval/status/1597239915691270144?s=46&t=5TbSJ8XObAIDF4YJQm-l7A   There hasn’t been any indication as to who the Mountaineers may turn to. Stay tuned to The Voice of Motown as we will keep you updated.

Former Mountaineer Guides XFL Team to Comeback Win

(Photo via WVU)  It has been over two decades since former WVU Tight End Anthony Becht suited up for the Old Gold & Blue. The Pennsylvania native spent the entirety of his collegiate career (1996-1999) in Morgantown, tallying 83 catches for 1,178 yards and 11 touchdowns. This would propel him to his opportunity at the NFL where he would play for five different teams over twelve years. After his retirement, Becht spent some time in the broadcast booth with ESPN before trying his hand at coaching. His first chance to be a head coach came in 2019 with the San Diego Fleet of the Alliance of American Football (AAF). This wouldn’t last long, however, as the league went under before their first season in-operation was even complete. It would take him four years, but Becht has once again landed a head coaching gig - this time in the XFL. In the league now owned by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Becht was selected as the Head Coach of the St. Louis BattleHawks. The organization participated in their first game of the 2023 spring season yesterday, and to say it was one for the ages would be an understatement. Trailing 15-3 with less than two minutes to play, Becht and the BattleHawks used the league’s progressive rules to their advantage en route to a come-from-behind 18-15 victory over the San Antonio Brahmas. https://twitter.com/espn/status/1627443076644888580?s=46&t=-NGiFXRmWt9v_E3K7W7q2w The game was widely regarded as the best of opening weekend for the league. With many praising the team’s fight and unwillingness to go down, it’s easy to assume that Becht will be a rising star in the coaching ranks before we know it. Becht and the BattleHawks (1-0) travel to take on the Seattle Sea Dragons (0-1) this Thursday. The game is set for a 9 p.m. kickoff and will be televised on FX.

West Virginia Loses Another Starter to the Transfer Portal

Morgantown, West Virginia - The West Virginia Mountaineers suffered another big loss when talented defensive lineman Jordan Jefferson reportedly left the program and entered the transfer portal on Friday night. Jefferson, a 6'3 310 pound junior from Navarre, Florida, had 31 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and 3 sacks as a starter at nose tackle for the Mountaineers this season. West Virginia has now lost 15 players since the season ended and have not gained any scholarship players yet. The following players from last year's team have either entered the transfer portal or in the 2023 NFL Draft: Corbin Page Ty Woodby Mumu Bin-Wahad Charles Woods Reese Smith Mike O'Laughlin Bryce Ford-Wheaton Will Crowder Naim Muhammad JT Daniels Will "Goose" Crowder Jordan White Taurus Simmons Sam James Kaden Prather Jordan Jefferson

WVU Will Be Without Key Players Tonight

WVU will be without the services of Wyatt Milum and Aubrey Burks tonight. Morgantown, WV - According to Mike Casazza of EerSports, West Virginia will be without Wyatt Milum and Aubrey Burks against Houston tonight. Burks and Milum both left the September 30th win at TCU with injuries. It was reported by Neal Brown earlier in the week that both would be questionable and game-time decisions. WVU will also be without Tomas Rimac due to injury. (Photo by WVU Athletics) 

West Virginia Lands Second Northwestern Transfer in Two Days

MORGANTOWN, West Virginia - Yesterday, the West Virginia Mountaineers added former Northwestern defensive back Jaheem Joseph. Joseph spent the last three seasons with the Wildcats, tallying 37 tackles and 3 interceptions. Today, the Mountaineers added his former teammate at Northwestern, Garnett Hollis, Jr. Hollis, a graduate transfer, played in all 13 games for the Wildcats in 2023, finishing the season with 49 tackles, including 3.5 for loss, and an interception. According to On3.com, Hollis is rated as a four star cornerback and one of the top 300 players nationally in college. Neal Brown has made adding depth to the secondary a real priority, and landing both Joseph and Hollis on back to back days is huge for the Mountaineers' defense! https://twitter.com/GarnettHollis/status/1760032296680165484?s=20  

Pat White is Latest Former WVU Quarterback Looking for Work

(Photo by Getty Images)    According to John Brice of Football Scoop, former WVU quarterback Pat White has been relieved of his duties with the South Florida Bulls football program. White, who is arguably the greatest quarterback in WVU history, served as the Bulls’ running backs coach during the 2020 season. He becomes the second former Mountaineer quarterback in as many weeks to “depart” from their respective programs, as Clint Trickett was let go as Florida Atlantic’s offensive coordinator on January 3rd. If Neal Brown were willing to give him a position, White would be a fantastic hire for his staff at WVU. Not only is he adored by fans, but players would be able learn under one of the biggest names in the program’s history.  

Brown: “Look Forward to Proving Everyone Wrong”

West Virginia head coach Neal Brown discussed the Mountaineers during Big 12 Media Days today.   MORGANTOWN, West Virginia -- Neal Brown met with the media today during Big 12 Media Days and virtually every person he spoke to asked the very same question: "How do you feel about being on the hot seat and being picked to finish last in the Big 12 Conference?" Brown provided clear reasons why he believes that his team will be successful this season: "We have an offensive line that has 132 career starts, which is one of the best in the nation. We have a budding star in CJ Donaldson at running back. We're very confident in our quarterbacks. Defensively, we have all-league players at all levels; Sean Martin will be an all-league player on the defensive line. Lee Kpogba is one of the leading returning tacklers and I think he’ll be an all-league player. And Aubrey Burks is one of the best safeties, if not the best safety in the league." Brown went on to say, "Good news is the media hasn't been good at picking the conference champion. I firmly believe we'll be better and that we'll win this season. We will not finish last in our conference. There was already a chip on our shoulder. This just increases the size of the chip." Brown also revealed that he will return to calling plays for the upcoming season: "Really in a pivotal year, you fall back to your strengths,” he said. With that said, Neal Brown appears to be very confident and optimistic heading into the 2023 season. With his job on the line, Brown has put together a team that he feels will be competitive in the Big 12 Conference in Year 5.

WVU Projected to Play One of the SEC’s Worst Teams in Liberty Bowl

Brad Crawford, a staff writer for 247Sports, recently released his updated bowl projections following week 14's results. Crawford has remained adamant that the Mountaineers will be making the trip to compete in the Autozone Liberty Bowl on New Year's Eve. However, with so much shake up going on in the SEC standings, their opponent has changed almost weekly.   This week, Crawford has West Virginia pinned up against one of the worst teams in the Southeastern Conference. South Carolina, who only recently completed their coaching search, is projected to make the trip to Memphis to take on the Mountaineers in late December. The Gamecocks wrapped up their 2020 season on Saturday with a 41-18 loss to the Kentucky Wildcats. After firing Will Muschamp in November, the team finished with an abysmal 2-8 record.   Though South Carolina's record certainly doesn't garner a bowl invite, the NCAA's ruling that all teams are bowl eligible in 2020 will put them in the postseason. According to multiple sources, the team would consider accepting a bowl invite despite their poor record.   The Mountaineers and Gamecocks have met twelve times before, with West Virginia holding a 7-4-1 advantage.

West Virginia Virginia Tech GAMEDAY PREDICTION

Blacksburg, Virginia - The West Virginia Mountaineers (1-2) travel to Blacksburg, Virginia to play rival Virginia Tech Hokies (2-1) in the Battle for the Black Diamond Trophy tonight. The Mountaineers, who are currently a 2.5 point favorite on the road, have lost on the road against Pitt and at home against Kansas, and have only beaten Towson. Virginia Tech lost their home opener to Old Dominion, then beat Boston College in the second week and Wofford last Saturday. This matchup will ultimately come down to West Virginia's much-improved offense led by JT Daniels, Bryce Ford-Wheaton and CJ Donaldson against the Hokie's outstanding defense. Virginia Tech ranks third in the country in rushing defense (42 yards per game), 5th in total defense (201 yards per game) and in the top 20 in scoring defense, allowing just 12.33 points per game. Although West Virginia is a far more talented, complete team right now, winning in Blacksburg at Lane Stadium at night in a rivalry game is extremely challenging. In addition, nothing Neal Brown has done since arriving at West Virginia has given me any confidence to think that he could go into such a hostile environment and win this game. In fact, it's just the opposite. Brown has proven that he's not a great game manager, that he gets far too cautious in very important moments, and that he doesn't win really meaningful, close games. With that said, this game could really go either way. West Virginia has the talent, but they also have Neal Brown as their head coach. Virginia Tech is not a very talented team, but they have one of the most intimidating environments in college sports, particularly at night in a big rivalry game. Prediction: Great defense, lots of mistakes/turnovers and more heartbreak for the Mountaineers. Neal Brown's seat is on fire after this one. Virginia Tech 24 West Virginia 14

WVU Could Play Spoiler to Iowa State

Today, the Iowa State Cyclones came one step closer to their first Big 12 Championship Game by beating the Texas Longhorns, 23-20. All the Cyclones need to claim a Big 12 title game berth is a victory over West Virginia, or a loss by Oklahoma. Being that the Sooners have Baylor, and the Mountaineers left on their schedule (who they are 8-0 against since West Virginia joined the conference), a victory over WVU would be their best bet to secure a trip to Dallas. However, that will be easier said than done by Iowa State. Though the Cyclones have two straight victories over the Mountaineers, West Virginia will enter next week’s contest with the conference’s best defense. They also have surprisingly put together a top offense in the Big 12, and have all of the pieces to top Iowa State in the contest.   The WVU-Iowa State contest has set up to be more important than many thought before the season. Either the Cyclones will continue their Cinderella season, or WVU will take another step forward in their “Climb,” while putting the fire out for one of the nation’s hottest teams. Kickoff time and network have yet to be released for the matchup.

West Virginia Adds 2025 Quarterback

MORGANTOWN, West Virginia — After dominating the Cincinnati Bearcats on the field, West Virginia won off the field, too, adding 2025 quarterback recruit Scotty Fox! Fox, a 3 star signal-caller from Mentor, Ohio, committed to play for the Mountaineers over offers from Akron, Ball State, Marshall, Kentucky and Michigan State, among many others. This past season, Fox was 258/429 for 3137 yards, 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, and is assumed to be in the mix to start for the Mountaineers in the future. https://twitter.com/scottyfox18/status/1726023607099240492?s=46&t=USDKe35TLtcCPitgUlQ1PA

Let’s Talk Homefield Advantage

What a difference a year can make, huh?   In 2019, the Mountaineers struggled at home. After winning their first two games against James Madison and N.C. State, the team would lose their final four home games of the season. Posting a 2-4 record at home is not what good football teams do. Hell, even bad football teams shouldn't be that piss poor at home.   Fast forward one season, and the narrative has completely changed. With only one home game left in 2020 (November 28th vs. Oklahoma), the Mountaineers are sitting at 5-0 in Morgantown.  The only team in the Big 12 with an undefeated record on their turf this season. https://twitter.com/WVUfootball/status/1327983249323421700?s=20   Not only has West Virginia been outstanding at home, they have been borderline dominant. In Morgantown, the Mountaineers are putting up 36.4 points per game offensively, while only surrendering 12.8 points per game on defense. In regulation, West Virginia has yet to allow a team to score more than 17 points on Mountaineer Field. The season prior, however, the story was the exact opposite.   As they did all season in 2019, West Virginia struggled to score at home. Putting up an average of 23.1 points per game on offense, the defense was gashed for 30.8 points per game. To add insult to injury, in their four losses West Virginia would lose by an average of almost 16 points per game.   Turning the tides at home this season has been evident that this team is in fact "climbing." You simply have to take care of business at home, or you will not be successful. While the hope is the fortunes on the road will change in 2021, we can just enjoy the fact that Morgantown is becoming one of the toughest venues in the Big 12.   If Neal Brown can continue to lead his team to such dominant performances at home in the future, the Mountaineers will quickly rise to the top of the Big 12. Rebuilding a program is a step-by-step process, and the massive step taken at Milan Puskar Stadium in 2020 is bigger than many realize.  

It Sure Sounds Like Hugh Freeze Would Consider West Virginia

Morgantown, West Virginia - Although Hugh Freeze recently agreed to a massive new 8-year contract through 2030 that's fully guaranteed and averages just under $5 million per year, West Virginia could, and should attempt to, lure him to Morgantown to be the next head coach of the Mountaineers.  In his 10 years as a head coach, Freeze, 52, has been successful everywhere he's been. He is 83-41 overall and 6-2 in bowl games during his time at Arkansas State, Ole Miss and now at Liberty. In addition, he beat Nick Saban's Alabama Crimson Tide twice while at Ole Miss. This is a quality, proven, successful head coach who could immediately turn the West Virginia football program, and it appears that a place like West Virginia University would be the ideal situation for Freeze if the university is willing to pay him. In a recent interview with Fox Sports' Aaron Torres, Freeze had the following to say when asked if he would consider a Power 5 job if he was offered: "I don't know that there will ever be a time where I leave. But if it does, it would be in Jill (Hugh's wife) and my mind there is only a few that really would say, 'we really want to listen to that.' Because it fits our culture, it fits our location in mind," Freeze said. "We are a small, college-town family. I'm not a big-city guy, I don't belong there, I like living in the mountains. If that select few, I do have a list in mind that if they ever were to have an interest, it would be something that we certainly would listen to. There is very few that we would even take the calls from." Freeze didn't mention any schools in particular, but it sure sounds a lot like West Virginia University would check off a lot of boxes for him. In addition, Freeze recently signed a big new contract, but the buyout if he decides to go to a Power 5 school is only $2.5 million. Although Freeze is happy at Liberty, every coach - Freeze included - wants to win at the highest level. He can't do that at Liberty. He can at West Virginia.

Where There’s Smoke, There’s Usually Fire

Morgantown, West Virginia - Rumors of West Virginia Head Coach Neal Brown departing Morgantown to become the next Head Coach at the University of South Carolina have really picked up in the past 12-24 hours. Brown is now considered a favorite by not just fans on message boards but also allegedly from the administration at South Carolina.  South Carolina wants an experienced, proven coach that is young and is a program-builder.  Brown checks all of those boxes and more. So there's definitely at least some interest from South Carolina.  What remains to be seen is whether Neal Brown has any interest at all.  While a move from West Virginia to South Carolina seems like a lateral move at best, it is an SEC school and perhaps the Vic Koenning situation in the offseason (or a number of other things) has soured Brown on WVU. The other candidate who the Gamecocks have zeroed in on is Shane Beamer, son of former Virginia Tech Head Coach Frank Beamer, who is currently the Assistant Head Coach/Tight Ends and H-Backs Assistant Coach at Oklahoma.  Beamer, 43, is a an up-and-comer in the profession, was an assistant under Steve Spurrier at South Carolina from 2007-2010 and has reportedly already interviewed for the position, but he lacks head coach experience. Neal Brown makes a lot more sense for the University of South Carolina right no than Beamer, but the difference is that Beamer is absolutely interested in the position and it's completely unknown whether Brown is or not. Clint Brewster and Brad Crawford, writers for 247 Sports in the SEC, seem to think that Brown to South Carolina is a real option. Brewster posted the following message on social media moments ago: "Hearing that West Virginia Head Coach Neal Brown is the other candidate that South Carolina is focused on right now besides Shane Beamer." Crawford added, "Neal Brown would be an excellent hire for South Carolina.  A really hot name when West Virginia got him and a winner as a head coach." https://twitter.com/clintbrew247/status/1333193898777325571?s=20 https://twitter.com/BCrawford247/status/1333197467395866624?s=20

WATCH: Garrett Greene Arrives at the Stadium With a Limp

MORGANTOWN, West Virginia -- The West Virginia Mountaineers play host to the Texas Tech Red Raiders in their Big 12 season opener and they will do so without the services of their starting quarterback, Garrett Greene. Greene, who suffered an ankle injury last week in the 1st quarter against Pitt, will not start the game today for the Mountaineers and will only be used in "emergency situations." Instead, West Virginia will turn to redshirt freshman Nicco Marchiol to lead the team. Greene arrived at the stadium today and appeared to still be slightly limping. Check out the video of Greene below: https://twitter.com/voicemorgantown/status/1705637305770258747?s=20